


Come Away to the Waters

by maarzanna



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fae & Fairies, Fairy Tale Elements, Fantasy, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 06:25:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15261366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maarzanna/pseuds/maarzanna
Summary: As a boy, Arthur's nursemaid warned him about the dangers lurking in the waters. As a young man, he threw all caution to the wind, because some beautiful creatures were worth it.





	Come Away to the Waters

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from the poem The Stolen Child.

"Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild, with a faery, hand in hand."  
W.B. Yeats 

  
  


"Stay away from the waters, my little child," his nursemaid said, tucking him into bed. "Never go near the river by your lonesome, or dip your feet in the spring, they will pull you in." 

"Who? You mean the hidden folk?" Arthur asked, squirming and twisting the covers around pudgy fingers. "Am I safe here?" 

Alice smiled at him, kissed his forehead lovingly. "Do not fret, my little prince, you are safe. There are spells on these walls, I laid them myself, and the faerie folk cannot walk freely in here. Now go to sleep, it is far too late to be awake." 

"But— but... I can't. Not now," he protested, enlivened by her stories. Father hated her tales, said Arthur's brain would rot, he could never get enough. Every story about dragons and warlocks she spun had him asking for more. "Tell me about the faerie who came from the depths of the lake." 

"Hush now, my sweet. I will tell you a hundred stories if you want, once the sun has risen in the sky and comes in through the window, for now, I'll watch over your dreams." Alice smoothed the covers around him. Arthur couldn't hide his pout but settled down nonetheless, the sun couldn't be too far away. 

He closed his eyes, said through a yawn, "Sing me a song?" 

She sat next to him, carding her fingers through his hair, gentle and sweet, just how he imagined mothers did. "I see the moon, and the moon sees me, shining through the branches of the old oak tree..."

Her voice lulled him into dreams of big white horses galloping near the rivers.

+

Arthur was thirteen and if he was to be the future king then he could bathe in the lake with no one breathing down his neck. Many times Alice had stopped him from jumping into a lake, a stream, and any body of water she deemed dangerous, she said faeries longed for human children.

He was no longer a child. He'd grown. His father said it was time he left all games behind.

He kneeled on the ground, letting his fingers dance in the water, and creating a ripple with a fingertip. The wind picked up blowing his hair, the tree's leaves swayed with a soft melody that came out of nowhere. Arthur frowned, he was sure there was no one else around, he'd checked. Looking up he was startled by a pair of bright blue eyes, gazing directly at him from the lake. Arthur gasped, falling backward. The creature's body was hidden, submerged in the waters, only those shocking eyes and wet dark hair were visible. 

"Who— who are you?" Arthur asked, holding onto whatever thread of bravery he could find in his body. 

The creature —a faerie, it must be a faerie, he was certain— disappeared without giving him an answer. The leaves stopped their dance and the melody could no longer be heard outside his head. 

Back in the castle, he found Alice in the kitchens. She was older, wrinkles and worry lines were starting be visible. Alice always smiled at Arthur like she loved him more than anything, like a child of her own womb. He stole a piece of cheese from her plate, pretending to be annoyed when she ruffled his hair. 

"Tell me about the faeries of the waters," he said. "Are they all evil?" 

"Why? Where have you been my little prince?" 

He shrugged, avoiding her knowing eyes. "Nowhere." 

"Nowhere is somewhere," she said. "No, my dear. The answer to your question is no. The faerie folk aren't all evil, but you mustn't trust them blindly, for they know how to bend the truth without telling lies. Always be careful." 

Arthur nodded. "I will."

+

Arthur returned to the lake, curious about the dwellers of those waters, one in particular if he was honest with himself. He couldn't get rid of the vision he saw, and the music he heard. Arthur waited and waited, and them waited some more. He'd clearly run out of luck. Arthur went back home with dashed hopes.

For a week he observed the lake, looking out for any sign of the magical. It wasn't until one afternoon after he'd fallen asleep under the shadow of a tree, that he heard the melody again.

He woke up, dazed with sleep, thinking he might have dreamt it, when he noticed the leaves, dancing, alive with the music. 

There, on the edge of the lake sat a boy, a violin in his hands, staring back at him. 

"It's you," Arthur said, leaping to his feet. 

The boy's eyes went round and quickly got in the water. Arthur rushed to him, said, "No, please don't go. I wanted to see you again." 

"Me? What does a human want with me? I haven't harmed any of your kind." 

"Never said you did, I liked your music," he said, afraid he might chase him away if he didn't explain his presence.

The boy lookrd around Arthur's age, his skin was paler than his, his hair reminded Arthur of a raven's back, and the water sticking to his body didn't seem to bother him. His clothes were dark and thin. Arthur had never been so close to real, live faerie, and it thrilled him. This boy didn't look like the terrible creatures Alice had warned him about. He didn't appear to be the kind who would enchant him only to drown him afterwards. 

"You do?" He asked, eyes narrowed to slits, but he was still there. 

"I do. Will you tell me your name? I swear I mean no harm." 

The silence that followed Arthur's request was agonizing. In the end, all he got was a perfunctory, "Merlin." 

Driven by his curiosity Arthur went to the lake every following afternoon, respecting Merlin's silence, listening to the music emanating from the violin's strings, plucked by loving fingers. Sometimes, he'd asked Merlin about the other water spirits, about his parents, getting blunt answers in return for his efforts. 

Merlin was wild, rude, and so very different from everything and everyone Arthur knew. It was inconceivable for him to forget about the strange faerie who played spellbinding songs, that could lure any mortal to meet their demise should he wish it so.

Soon, the summer heat died and the leaves fell from the trees, then winter came burying the world in white. Merlin had slowly come to accept Arthur, talking more and more, splashing water on his face when he got distracted and laughing at Arthur's sputtering. 

"No, I won't ever drown a living soul," Merlin said, his voice lacking any warmth. Two summers had passed and they'd become closer, Merlin had even taught Arthur how to play the violin, they'd grown and changed together. Arthur learned that Merlin got restless when he was far from the waters for long periods of time, and Arthur told him all about being a prince. 

"I believe you," Arthur said, conciliatory. He hadn't meant to imply Merlin would pull every mortal who dared disturb him down to the freezing depths of the water. 

"If someone here holds more power, then that one is you. You know my name, should you shout it to the winds my life would come to an end," Merlin said. 

Arthur was horrified by the notion. "I would never do that. We are friends. Are we not?

That was the first time Merlin smiled at him, unguarded and genuine. 

It wouldn't be until the leaves turned again that their relationship changed once more. 

They were in the lake, Arthur had long ago lost his fear of drowning because Merlin was with him, and the sun had warmed the days with balmy heat. 

Merlin swam to the edge, where Arthur was lying down, one hand and one foot still in the water. 

"Did you know you are precious to me?" 

Arthur opened his eyes at the sound of Merlin's voice, the heat around them had coiled in his belly, he'd nearly forgotten how to breathe. 

"Am I?" 

Merlin nodded, came even closer, ran a finger down his cheek. "You are. One day I realized I do not know, nor do I want to know how to live without you." 

Arthur closed his eyes, remembering how only last night Alice had asked, _"Have you find love, my child?"_ And he'd answered, _"I think I have."_ Now Merlin was telling him those feeling were not destined to be lived in silence. 

He offered his hand to Merlin, who took it with no hesitation and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "Will you ask me to live with you?" 

Arthur pondered the question, in his heart, he knew there was nothing else he wanted. There were stories of faeries living with those who loved them, yet he could not ask Merlin to give up the waters. He plunged back into the lake still holding onto Merlin's hand, bringing him down with him, sinking. 

Underwater, Merlin was even more striking, his eyes rivaled the deep blues of the skies and seas. Arthur kept Merlin close, the water pushed and pulled at their bodies, as they crashed together and met in a tender kiss, their arms firmly tangled over each other. They kissed until Arthur could only taste water, and his lungs were on fire. 

Above water, Merlin's laughter anchored him. He took large gulps of air, willed his heart to settle down, but it was impossible with Merlin nearby, still wild, yet his. His, in ways Arthur had not dared to dream. He pulled Merlin into a hug, buried his face on his shoulder. Merlin's arms went around his waist, hummed a lullaby.

"I'll live with you, you'll live with me," Arthur said, against the hollow of his neck, lips brushing the wet skin. "Here, there. Nowhere, somewhere." 

Merlin nodded, kept them afloat. 

The melody that had first attracted him soared above them and Arthur knew that melody would always bring him home.


End file.
